Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Concorde Career Institute-Tampa

This nursing assistant certificate hinges entirely on whether similar Florida programs are accurate predictors. Based on comparable programs statewide, graduates typically earn around $41,000 in their first year while carrying roughly $9,900 in debt—a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.24 that suggests manageable repayment. That's the good news. The challenge is that this estimate falls well short of what top-performing Florida programs actually deliver: Florida State College at Jacksonville and several others report first-year earnings above $47,000, with some exceeding $54,000.

The gap matters because nursing credentials are supposed to lead to relatively predictable outcomes. When peer programs in your own state show a $13,000 spread between typical and top-tier results, you're facing meaningful uncertainty about where Concorde-Tampa actually lands. The school serves a predominantly Pell-eligible population (70%), which often correlates with students who can least afford surprises. At under $10,000 in estimated debt, the financial risk is contained compared to many vocational programs, but you'd want to understand why some Florida schools consistently place graduates in higher-paying positions.

Your next step isn't generic research—it's specific investigation. Ask Concorde-Tampa directly about job placement rates and typical employer relationships. If they can't provide concrete placement data or connect you with recent graduates, that silence tells you something important about whether they track outcomes closely. The estimated numbers suggest a workable investment, but only if this school performs at least as well as the Florida median it's based on.